Ashley brought him a teacup half-full of willow bark tea. “This will help you feel better. Maggie, can you reach the whiskey?”
The maid bobbed a curtsy and retrieved a bottle on the floor that had been hidden by the bed curtains. “May I say how pleased I am you’re on the mend, my lord?” She poured enough whiskey to fill the cup to the brim.
“Um,” was all he could manage. The cup seemed to weigh ten pounds as he raised it to his mouth and drank deeply. Hating the taste as much as ever, he choked it down so it would dull his throbbing aches. He was still hungry after he finished one egg and a piece of toast slathered with marmalade, but he barely had the strength to hold his head up, never mind lift his hand to his mouth. He tried to rise before he passed out in the chair.
Ashley was there, a hand under his elbow helping him to stand, her arm around his waist, letting him lean on her as he traversed the vast distance to the bed.
“Rest now, David,” she said softly as he let her strip him of his banyan before he slid under the covers. Some of her hair fell forward as she leaned over to pull the blanket up.
Resting his left elbow on the bed, he slid his fingers through a handful of strands. “So soft.” He could play with her hair for hours … as he felt himself floating away.
* * *
Confident that Ravencroft was asleep and Sally in her room to keep an eye on him, Ashley went about her day as Aunt Eunice expected. Shopping for a new fan because Eunice had left her previous one with Mrs. O’Keefe who had sighed in pleasure at seeing the tropical scene painted on it, paying morning calls on Aunt’s friends, and a stroll together in St. James Park.
“It’s the hour to see and be seen,” Aunt Eunice said, tucking her arm through Ashley’s while a footman followed them at a discreet distance. “Oh my, so many handsome gentlemen are out today!”
Oblivious to the many men on horseback and on foot and instead thinking of the handsome gentleman in her bed, Ashley murmured an appropriate response.
“Look, there’s Mr. Westbrook. Do you think we’ll see his friend Ravencroft, too?” Aunt Eunice raised her hand in a subtle wave, a large enough gesture to get the gentleman’s attention without seeming crass.
Soon Mr. Westbrook and his two companions, who turned out to be Lord Fairfax and Mr. Huntley, the tenor with the angelic voice, caught up with them on the path and everyone exchanged polite greetings.
“Such a beautiful day,” Lord Fairfax said, doffing his hat as he bowed and raised Ashley’s hand for a kiss. “Made even more lovely by encountering two beautiful ladies.” Aunt Eunice let out a girlish giggle, and Fairfax gave his head a slight shake to get his long hair from his eyes as he straightened.
His bass voice didn’t rumble as much outdoors with no walls or furniture to bounce the sound off of, but Ashley saw Aunt Eunice fluttering her lashes at him like a schoolgirl, still affected by his rich tone.
Feeling bold, Ashley offered her hand to Westbrook. “I’m glad the weather is no longer hot,” she said, looking him directly in the eye.
He paused, ever so briefly, before he straightened and let go of her. “Itwastoo hot, wasn’t it?”
She nodded. “But not any longer.”
He gave her a relieved smile.
“If you ask me, I thought the weather has been chilly,” said Mr. Huntley, looking slightly puzzled by their exchange. Aunt Eunice agreed.
Fortunately they moved on to some other inane but polite and appropriate topic of conversation, and then to the entertainments planned for tonight, and who was going to be at which event. Ashley barely paid attention, distracted as her stomach growled. How hungry was Ravencroft? Had Sally brought him any food? How could she get enough food for him without arousing suspicion? Now that his fever had broken, his appetite should return. He needed to eat in order to regain his strength.
A cluster of young ladies strolling with their chaperone caught Lord Fairfax’s attention, and soon Ashley and her aunt were walking alone again. “If you are hungry, why didn’t you simply say so?” Aunt Eunice took Ashley’s arm and they headed toward the park’s exit nearest their home.
Ashley’s cheeks heated and she placed her hand over her stomach. “Do you think they heard me?”
“I’m sure all three are too much of a gentleman to acknowledge it if they did, my dear.”
Chapter 13
Back at the townhouse, Aunt Eunice beamed at her when Ashley asked for a second helping of everything. “Have to keep your strength up for tonight,” she said with a wink.
You have no idea.
Anytime her aunt looked away, Ashley hid food. Slices of ham in the folds of her napkin, nuts and cheese in her reticule. Too bad there was no way for her to carry some of the delicious soup upstairs, so she ate it. At least she was able to save a buttered roll.
“I have been meaning to ask you something,” Aunt said when the footman left the dining room to take away empty dishes.
Ashley’s heart pounded. She set her spoon down so it wouldn’t rattle against the bowl.
“Are you displeased with the lady’s maid I hired for you? Mrs. Gillespie said you engaged another while I was gone, though she seems much too young for the position.”
